Baked Oatmeal: Smiles and Update

Rolled Oats

I previously posted the recipe for the baked oatmeal I tried yesterday along with my disappointment in how it turned out.  I had this nagging feeling like something important was missing.  Something sweet, but not necessarily sugar.  WHAT was it!?!  Well, this morning, after doctoring up my slice of oatmeal a little more I realized what the problem was.

Raisins!

Yes!  I figured it out, and I'm kicking myself for not figuring it out earlier.  Duh.  This morning, I realized that the baked oatmeal was much better cold and not hot out of the oven.  It was very dense, but filling that way.  I added cinnamon and real maple syrup to it today, which helped some with the sweetness, but raisins would be much, much better.

So, I say go ahead and make this lovely cake-y breakfast, but take my advice and let it cool, add some cinnamon, and get the raisin-y goodness in there!

Finally, I can say...YUM!

Recipe: Baked Oatmeal

Baked Oatmeal

I was really looking forward to this breakfast recipe so I could do something different with my oatmeal.  Let's be honest, a normal bowl of oatmeal most mornings can get old very quickly.  But, I wasn't thrilled with this recipe this morning as is...  I even put a good amount of cinnamon on top, but that didn't seem to really help.  On the site where I found this recipe originally, the blog comments mentioned adding spices and maple syrup.  I think next time I'll try more add ins.  I do think it's worth another attempt with tweaking, but the tweak-factor will require some thought.

Ingredients:

6 c.  rolled oats
3 bananas
3 c. buttermilk (or yogurt)
2 eggs
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. chopped walnuts
2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 c. coconut oil

Directions:

1. (Optional) Soak oats in buttermilk (or yogurt) on countertop for optimal nutrition.

2.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees

3.  combine all ingredients until well combined.

4.  Pour into greased baking dish (I greased with coconut oil, and it burned! Need a solution...) and bake in 350 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes.

Like I said before, it was a little bland.  I felt like it needed a spice kick and a bit more sweetness.  I also used more walnuts (because I'm a big nut!).  I will post a follow-up when I try this one again after I figure out the tweak-factor.

Mix 'er up

Put 'er in the dish

Hot out of zee oven!

Recipe: Mac and Cheese (Not from a box)

Yummy Mac & Cheese

Cheesy comfort.  MMM...  This is one of my favorite comfort foods.  A recipe passed down from my Gramma, the taste of this recipe always reminds me of family.  Although this is a simple recipe, it tastes so much better than the famous box mix.  Just my humble opinion...

Ingredients:
1 cup dry macaroni pasta
1 cup milk (I used organic whole milk)
2 Tbl butter (I used pastured butter)
2 Tbl flour (I used organic whole wheat sprouted flour)
Sharp cheddar cheese (to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1.  Bring water to boil and cook pasta.  Drain.
2.  While pasta is cooking, melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.  Add milk and flour, stirring frequently.  Continue cooking until sauce has thickened.  Add some cheese and incorporate into sauce.
3.  In your casserole dish, combine cooked pasta and white sauce.  Top with additional cheese.

4.  Melt cheese under broiler.  Or, if your broiler doesn't work like mine, melt cheese in oven at 450 degrees. :)

YUMMY!!!  This is a halved recipe from the original and fits well in a 1-quart casserole dish.  For a family, my Mom always doubled it and used a 2 quart casserole.  I usually serve with salmon croquettes or a ham based dish.

Combine cooked pasta with cream sauce in casserole dish.

Top with grated sharp cheddar cheese.

Mac and Cheese with Salmon Croquettes

Recipe: Salmon Croquettes

Nourishing salmon in a recipe passed down from my Gramma.  My Mom would make this all the time growing up, and it's one of those comforting dishes that feels like home.  I always say that home is where your Mom is (and my Mom loves it!).  :)

I changed a few things from what my Mom does for this recipe (gasp!).  I used whole wheat sprouted flour instead of all purpose flour.  Additionally, I used peanut oil instead of icky rancid vegetable or canola oil.  It was my first experience with peanut oil, and it was nice to know my food didn't taste like peanuts or like it came from a Chinese fast food restaurant!  Double woot!

The worst part about making this recipe is the yuck factor with the canned salmon.  EWWW!  Removing the round bones and skin is not my favorite thing.  Ever.  But it's worth it in the long run.  I promise.

Ingredients:
1 large can of red salmon (I guess pink would work, too)
2 pieces of soft sandwich bread
1 egg
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 Tbl. flour (I used whole wheat organic sprouted flour)
Peanut Oil (or preferred oil for frying)

Directions:
1.  Add oil to skillet at low-medium heat.
2.  Drain salmon.  Remove round bones and skin (ick!).  Long thin bones can be left in.  Flake in medium bowl.
3.  Add egg, salt, pepper, and bread (torn in small pieces).  combine with hands until mixed thoroughly.
4.  Make patties of desired size in hands (larger patty = longer cooking time).  Dust with flour on both sides.
5.  Place patties in pan with hot oil.
6.  Cook on each side for approximately 10 minutes or until you reach your desired crispiness (I like crispy edges).
7.  When finished, place on layers of paper towels to drain excess oil.

YUM!  You can always add more bread for a filler to make more patties, but be sure to add more egg or moisture to help bind the patties together.

Meal Planning

Planning a week's worth of meals is one of my least favorite things to do, and therefore, I don't do it very often!  I'm really trying to change that bad habit.  So, I've decided to give myself a deadline and share my tentative meal plan for each week here.  It's a big undertaking!  I don't know about you, but I tend to make meal decisions based on how I feel, how stressed or busy I am, or what I'm "in the mood for."  But, I feel that some of my stress will be reduced if I don't have to worry about what I'm having every meal...it will be all laid out and pretty in a chart for me to reference.  So, without further ado, here is my meal plan:

I'm not sure how well you can see this lovely screen shot of my meal plan (click on it to enlarge), but it's all there, along with references to some new recipes I'm going to try out this week!  I'm still a bit of a loss on the "Snackies!" section, but I have an e-book on healthy snacky foods that I may need to break down and try out this weekend.

Now, I'm curious to see how well I stick to this plan.  I think if I can assemble the Shepherd's Pie this weekend so it's ready to go on Monday night, I should be in pretty good shape.  I may need to do some soup cooking this weekend, as I've been eating a LOT of soup out of my freezer recently, and it's getting a little sparse!  To this plan, I still need to add my prep activities and additional cooking in order to replenish my freezer supply. However, I am way too tired at the moment to get that accomplished!  Happy meal planning to all, and to all a good night! :)

Sally Fallon-Key Principals of Traditional Diet

Sally Fallon-Milk